Seán Currie: Niall Ó Ceallacháin has 'added that couple of percent'
Seán Currie has hailed the impact that Niall Ó Ceallacháin has made in his first year as Dublin hurling manager, highlighting the small improvements made by the former Na Fianna coach.
Last January, Ó Ceallacháin guided the Glasnevin club to a maiden All-Ireland title, with Currie part of the team that were too strong for Cork's Sarsfields in the Croke Park decider.
A week later and the 42-year-old coach was now overseeing his first game in charge of Dublin in a league campaign where they just missed out on promotion to Division 1B.
And then on to the championship. With one round to go in Leinster, Ó Ceallacháin's men know that victory over Galway at Parnell Park on Sunday will see them through to a successive final against Kilkenny.
Last weekend, it was the Cats who prevailed in their regulation clash at UPMC Nowlan Park, with the Dubs' second-half rally falling short. A goal by Billy Ryan at the death would eventually see the hosts scrape home.
WATCH KILKENNY v DUBLIN HIGHLIGHTS
For Currie, who scored 2-06 on Noreside, it's now about about taking that next step in the province. At a recent Dublin GAA media event with sponsors Staycity Aparthotels, the sharpshooter was in no doubt that the 12-year wait for a title can be ended.
"Yes, 100%, that's why we are here," he said.
"We have no interest in coming second or third, we definitely have that belief we can go further than we did last year. We were disappointed with the performance in the final last year so we are focussed on making an amends for that and improving as we go on.
"We have definitely underperformed. I think where we want to be is competing for Leinster championships, competing for All-Ireland championships and I guess the reality is we haven't been doing that over the last few years. When you look at the group of players we have, I definitely think we are capable of going to that next level and that's our aim now to achieve that."
The 26-year-old also believes the club scene in the capital is feeding into a stronger collective at county level.
"It probably does give us a boost in how strong the Dublin club championship is," he added.
"Every team in the club championship fancies themselves to win it. There are five or six teams in Dublin that could compete with any club in the country. So I think the strength of the championship is definitely feeding into the inter-county plan."
And while Currie accepts that it's those on the pitch that have the do their stuff, the arrival of his follow clubman as county boss has added something to the mix.
"It really comes down to the players, there is no point getting bogged down by the manager. I'd say 95-99% of our performance is down to us as players, there is only that small extra couple of percent that managers add. I think Niall has probably added that couple of percent this year, small tactical tweaks maybe make a small difference but it really comes down to the players. The players enjoy playing for him.
Expanding more on Ó Ceallacháin's managerial acumen, Currie remarked: "The players enjoy playing for him. He is a really good manager. Obviously I had him for five years with Na Fianna. He definitely took the club to the next level from where we were, he brought us on year on year.
"What you can tell from that is that every year we just got better, even from the start to the end of the year we would have made those small improvements that make a big difference. It's the same coming into the Dublin set-up, trying to make those small improvements to lift the level as we go on."
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